Like Mother Like Daughter
by JellyNellie
Summary: One shot that was on my mind of a Callie and Stef moment they had in the store when someone comments on their similarities. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are welcomed.
**Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this one shot that was on my mind. This is set sometime in season 3B. Just something that I wanted to get written out. Hope you enjoy!**

Stef and Callie were finishing up their quick grocery run. Lena had wanted to make something special for dessert, so she sent Stef to the store to pick up the ingredients she needed for a somewhat healthy upside down pineapple cake. Stef didn't want to go alone, so she asked if anyone wanted to go with her to the store, and Callie volunteered. She wanted to go to the store with Stef, just as she used to do with her mom when she was younger. Her mom always ended up getting more than what was on her grocery list, because Callie would sneak something she wanted into the cart.

"Okay, it looks like the last thing we need on our list is the canned pineapples. How did we pass that up 5 aisles ago?" Stef asked.

Callie shrugged, hoping that she would get one last chance to walk past the candy aisle and pick something up. She hadn't had it in so long.

"Alright, here they are" Stef observed as Callie pushed the cart slowly a bit behind.

"Heads up!" Stef shouted as she tossed the two cans of pineapples towards the cart several feet away.

Callie scrambled to get the cart closer to catch the cans that were flying through the air. She managed to get one can to land in the cart, but the other hit the edge and fell on the floor. Stef chuckled and pumped her fist in the air.

"Oh come on now, that's not fair! How am I supposed to catch 2 at the same time when they went in different directions?" Callie asked with a small smile spreading across her cheeks as she picked up the can. She enjoyed shopping with Stef, even if it was just for a few items. Stef made the experience fun.

As they started heading towards the checkout area, Stef noticed that Callie was falling a bit behind pushing the cart, and she turned around to see her daughter eyeing a particular type of candy from a distance. Stef smiled, remembering all too well the number of times any of her other children grabbed what they wanted and begged her and Lena to get it for them.

"Ya know" Stef began, "I could really go for some licorice right about now. Can you go grab me some while I get a spot in line?"

Callie nodded and started heading towards the candy aisle.

"And while you're at it, get something you want too sweets" Stef added with a smile.

Callie grinned widely back, and continued quickly to pick out what she was eyeing earlier. For the first time in a long time, Callie felt like… well, a kid in a candy store. She ran back to where Stef was starting to load the items in her cart behind the people in front of them.

"Thank you bug! Oh, and I see you got some sour gummy worms too. I never would've guessed you liked those"

"Oh yeah, definitely" Callie answered. "The others should've come to the store with us instead of sit around at home. Their loss" she continued as Stef chuckled at her remark. Callie placed the last couple of items to be checked out, and Stef picked up the package of licorice and pulled one out. Callie's face froze, as she stared at Stef in disbelief.

"What? It's not like I'm not gonna pay for it" Stef explained with her hands up. "I couldn't wait" Stef explained again, taking another bite and filling up her mouth.

Callie started laughing at her response harder than she thought she would, and Callie's laugh made Stef laugh too. By this time, the cashier was finished with the customer before them and started checking out their items. The woman smiled at both of them as they stood there looking at each other laughing, and she started chuckling herself.

"Hello ladies! I hope you're having a good evening" The cashier said

"Oh yes, we sure are, thank you" Stef responded, reaching for her wallet.

"May I just say that I love your wavy and curly hair!" the cashier commented as she admired Callie's hair. Both Callie and Stef's hair was natural. Neither Callie nor Stef had straightened their hair that day, and they both were wearing their hair down in similar fashion.

"Oh, thank you" Callie responded shyly. She wasn't used to strangers complimenting her.

The cashier continued, "I see those pretty locks run in the family along with silliness!"

Callie's small smile quickly faded as she glanced at Stef, and Stef at her.

"And I'm guessing that you get your sweet tooth from her too" The cashier continued to look back and forth between Callie and Stef for confirmation that she was right. "It's the same way with my dad and I. My mom doesn't even like sweet stuff that much, but when she was pregnant with me, she craved it all the time!"

Stef looked at Callie, who now had lost all the joy that she had just expressed less than a minute ago. "Yup. She is a lot like me, that's for sure." Stef answered, patting Callie's shoulder and giving her some encouragement. Callie glanced at Stef, but her face remained emotionless.

"I would also like to check out this" Stef changed the topic as she handed over the bag of licorice. Stef finished checking out, grabbed her items, and placed them in the cart.

"You two have a great evening. Thanks for shopping with us!" the cashier said as she handed Stef her receipt.

"You too" Stef responded as she and Callie headed for the car.

Once they were in the car and on the way home, Stef decided to speak up. Callie hadn't said a thing since the cashier complimented her hair.

"You know, you really are a lot like me, and I love that"

Callie swallowed the lump in her throat, but didn't say anything. Her head against the headrest, as she stared intently out the window.

"Hey. Look at me love" Stef pleaded. Callie slowly turned her head towards Stef and tried to look like she wasn't as bothered as she was. "She wasn't trying to be mean or rude honey, you know that, yes?"

Callie nodded her head slightly.

As they pulled into the driveway, Stef placed her hand on Callie's shoulder, so she knew that Stef meant everything she was about to say.

"Personally, I felt extremely honored and humbled to know that that cashier thought someone as beautiful and gorgeous as you, resembled me. Moments like those don't happen to me very often ya know. I'm glad that even though we aren't blood, we are still so similar that it's crazy. In that moment I was really flattered and _really_ proud to be your mom"

Callie felt her emotions well up inside of her, but she tried to hide it. How could Stef feel so happy? The cashier's comments made Callie feel so inferior, like life was still poking at her and reminding her that she no longer had her birth mother.

Callie finally spoke up, "It's just that… people used to always tell me that when I was younger. My mom would just look at me and smile"

Stef leaned in and kissed Callie's forehead. "I guess I kind of know how she felt then. I experienced that today"

Callie finally let a tear fall, and a smile spread across her face. Honestly, Callie too was the one that felt honored and humbled that someone thought she came from the amazing woman Stef is.

"I love you my Slug-a-Bug" Stef said as she embraced Callie the best she could in her seat.

"I love you too" she replied.

"Alright, let's get this stuff inside before Mama gets impatient" Stef stated.

Later that night after dinner and dessert was long gone, Stef and Lena were relaxing in their bed, and Stef was sharing the details of what happened at the grocery store.

"I still can't get over her face Lena. She seemed so devastated afterwards"

"It's weird, because people usually either stare in confusion because we don't all look alike, or if they make comments, they're more on the rude side" Lena added.

"Yeah, I remember those days. More specifically when Brandon, Mariana, and Jesus were younger. A lot of people were very ignorant back then. Honestly, people can still be ignorant now".

There was a small knock on the door, and Lena and Stef both knew it was Callie by the way she knocked.

"Come on in Callie" Lena stated.

Callie opened the door with a surprised look on her face. "How did you know that it was me?" She asked.

"A mama knows her child" Lena explained as she smiled at Callie

"What's up love" Stef asked

Callie cleared her throat before starting "Um, I came in to ask uh… what the weather is gonna be like tomorrow. Mariana was asking so she knows what to wear tomorrow"

Stef and Lena couldn't help but look at each other and almost laugh at what they knew was Callie's made up excuse.

"Just like mama said, a mother knows her child. Mariana only ever prepares her outfit the night before if it's a big event. I don't think tomorrow is anything worth prepping for in her eyes" Stef said.

"And you wouldn't come in to ask that for her, she would just ask us herself or look it up" Lena added.

Callie nodded slightly, knowing that she was caught in her lie. Lena opened up her arms to invite Callie to come closer. Callie walked over to the bed, and Lena gently urged her to sit in-between them. Once Callie was sitting with her legs crossed, Stef spoke up.

"What is it really? You can ask us or tell us anything"

Callie looked between both of her moms and replied, "Um… I just wanted to say thank you for… well, for everything I guess. I'm really happy that I got adopted and that I get to enjoy little things in life again, like dinners, grocery store trips, and getting to pick something I wanted from the candy aisle-" Callie stopped there, because she realized she probably shouldn't have admitted that with Lena in the room.

"Stef! Dessert AND candy in the same night?!" Lena exclaimed. Callie's face resembled both an "Oops" expression as well as a "Haha! You're busted now!" expression.

"What? I wanted some licorice, and I asked her to get some for me, so I figured it would only be fair if she got what she wanted too" Stef defended. "Besides, who could say no to sour gummy worms?"

Callie by now was full on laughing at Stef, just like she was in the store earlier. Lena couldn't be mad at anyone after she heard that laugh and saw the joy on Callie's face.

"Sorry for ratting you out" Callie said to Stef, still chuckling. "I just keep thinking back to when you opened that package of licorice in the line!"

"Stef! Really? In the line!" Lena exclaimed half playful and half serious.

"What? I couldn't wait to eat them! I hadn't had them in a long time" Stef explained as Callie doubled over holding her stomach from laughing so hard.

When Callie lifted her head back up, Lena pulled Callie towards her and playfully said "And every one wonders why I try and limit candy in this house. She acts like this!"

Stef pulled Callie from Lena towards herself, "Oh come on! If we had candy more often, I would've been able to control myself better" she defended.

Lena and Stef saw that this was definitely making Callie laugh even more. Lena pulled her back and said "That's just an excuse. She would do it regardless" Callie sat up from in-between the two.

"I actually have to agree with what she said" Callie explained as she pointed to Stef. "I… I kind of ate my whole bag of sour gummy worms after dinner"

Stef and Lena both raised their eyebrows while Callie sat with a smirk on her face. "If it helps, I definitely felt guilty afterwards"

"See Lena! Candy deprivation is a real problem!"

Callie busted out laughing once again as Lena playfully glared at Stef.

Callie interjected, "Well, what can I say? Like mother like daughter, right?"

Lena and Stef both smiled at Callie with pride in their eyes. It really was true. Stef pulled Callie back over towards her side, squeezing her and yelling "I win!" She kissed Callie on her temple, and Lena joined by kissing her other side. Callie was stuck in a mama sandwich, but she definitely didn't mind.

"Thank you both for being my moms. I love you"

"We love you more" they both answered.

"Next time, you better share some of those sour gummy worms" Stef added


End file.
